Across Georgia

ATLANTA — A Fulton County judge denied bond Friday for a youth softball coach charged with sending sexually suggestive text messages to an underage former player.

Robert Keith Payne, denied a $10,000 bond, is charged with enticing a child for indecent purposes.

Authorities say he sent several inappropriate text messages to a 15-year-old girl who once played for him on the Georgia Stealth traveling softball team. Police say she alerted them to the messages last week.

According to the Stealth Web site, the team is composed of girls 14 and younger.

Payne was arrested Thurs­day at his Cumming home. He was being held at the Fulton County jail.

First loggerhead nest of year found

CUMBERLAND ISLAND, GA. — The first loggerhead sea turtle nest of the year in Georgia has been reported on Atlantic coast.

The nest was found this week on Cumberland Island by National Park Service biologist Doug Hoffman, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Loggerhead nesting in April is rare in Georgia, said Mark Dodd, a biologist for the Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia sea turtle coordinator.

Last year was record setting for loggerheads with close to 2,000 nests identified on Georgia beaches.

The rise in nests is a positive sign in the recovery of the threatened species, but it also means there are likely more turtles in Georgia waters so more can be hit by boats, authorities said.